The self-rated health of British adults with intellectual disability

Publication type

Journal Article

Authors

Publication date

March 15, 2014

Summary:

People with intellectual disability have significantly higher age-adjusted rates of mortality and morbidity than their non-disabled peers. While self-rated health status is commonly used as an indicator of the health status of populations of interest, few studies have explored the self-rated health of adults with intellectual disability. We undertook secondary analysis of de-identified cross-sectional data from the first waves of two contemporary UK surveys: the Life Opportunities Survey (n = 37,513) and Understanding Society (n = 50,976). In the Life Opportunities Survey we identified 316 participants age 16–49 (1.7% of the age-restricted sample) as having intellectual disability. In Understanding Society we identified 415 participants age 16–49 (1.5% of the age-restricted sample) as having intellectual disability. Participants with intellectual disability were significantly more likely to report having fair or worse health than their peers (Life Opportunities Survey OR = 8.86 (6.54–12.01), p < 0.001; Understanding Society OR = 13.14 (10.65–16.21), p < 0.001). However the strength of this association was significantly attenuated when risk estimates were adjusted to take account of the increased rates of exposure of participants with intellectual disability to socio-economic disadvantage and (in the Life Opportunities Survey) exposure to discrimination and violence.

Published in

Research in Developmental Disabilities

Volume and page numbers

Volume: 35 , p.591 -596

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.01.005

ISSN

18733379

Subjects

#522321

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